One Derby County star was praised by midfielder Ben Osborn following the defeat to Stoke.
Derby County are currently gearing up for another away trip to Coventry City, where they will hope to put a disappointing 2-1 loss to Stoke City behind them.
The Rams are still yet to notch their first away win of the 2024/25 Championship season, and despite plenty of altering by Paul Warne, including a formation change last time out, he still hasn’t quite got his side replicating their home performances at Pride Park yet.
After the loss against Stoke City, apart from the fairly controversial refereeing decisions made, Warne’s side were masters of their own downfall after not showing enough, particularly in the first half.
Rams midfielder Ben Osborn has highlighted this as a key issue, but saw the silver lining of one substitute who looked to change the game after coming on, and it is a player who has quietly gone about doing this several times in the 2024/25 campaign.
Ben Osborn comments on Derby County star Callum Elder ring true this season
Derby County full-back Callum Elder has recently undergone a short spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury, which saw Craig Forsyth replace him on the left.
When being utilised, the Rams man has been very solid defensively, whilst also providing a more-than noticeable impact going forward. This was certainly the case when he came on at half-time against Stoke City.
Per Derbyshire Live, Osborn highlighted Elder’s performance, where he said: “We weren’t good enough in the first half. We weren’t really on the same page. We started well in the first five or ten minutes but then Stoke got out a few times, played some stuff and then we were caught in between and weren’t good enough on the ball.
“In the second half we changed formation a little bit and came back into the game. We got after them a little bit. It was a bit better. I thought Callum Elder did well when he came on and he caused them a few problems down the left.”
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Callum Elder stats show how integral he has been this season
In his eight Championship games so far, it has been clear that Elder has without a doubt been able to mould into a solid player at Championship level, and his impact was certainly noticeable once he sustained the injury and they no longer had that threat on the left-flank.
His stats certainly back up the fact that he has been a real asset on the attacking sense this season, as, per SofaScore, Elder has notched an assist, whilst also creating two big chances. He has also been getting plenty of coverage on the ball, with an average of 51.1 touches.
Elder certainly goes under the radar in regards to his impact on the pitch, but there is no doubt that he was the missing piece in the puzzle after that first half against Stoke City, and Warne did well to recognise that and look to bring him on.